At present, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses a cold water pipe to draw cold water from the deep sea, the pipe must either lie on the sea bed which is generally at least 5 miles from the land or it must be suspended. The OTEC pipe is so risky and expensive that OTEC is not commercially viable except in very ideal situations. OTEC uses the thermal difference between the warm tropical water and the cold sea water generally at least 1000 meters beneath the sea. The cold water is used in the condenser of a heat engine. The air conditioning industry also can utilize the cold water in the deep sea and it can also be used in mariculture and low temperature thermal desalination.
Thus the delivery of the cold water can be used in several different ways, and the way in which it is used and the proximity to the shore will determine the best method of importing the water. OTEC, low temperature desalination, and hydrogen production can be achieved at sea, or on land, the use of cold water in air conditioning requires for the water to be transported back to shore in most cases.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.